A User Equipment, UE, connects to an Internet Protocol, IP, access point server in a telecommunication network for establishing Internet Protocol, IP, connectivity. Such an access point server may include any of a Gateway General Packet Radio Service, GPRS, Support Node for GPRS for third Generation access, or a Packet Data Network Gateway in the case of Evolved Packet system access.
The IP access point server is responsible for different types of policy handling, such as, amongst other, IP address assignment, authentication and charging functions, packet routing and transfer, mobility management and logical link management for its connected user equipment.
Internet Protocol packets from the User Equipment are routed via the IP access point server as the primary access point for connecting to the telecommunication network. When the IP access point server intends to apply a policy handling for IP packets related to different IP services, the access point server may base such determination on either the application (HTTP, FTP, e-mail, Instant Message, etc.) of, or the destination address comprised in the IP packets.
Such a policy handling may relate to charging. An operator of a communication network may, for example, offer free access to certain information web pages. The IP access point server will then filter out IP packets comprising a destination web address corresponding to the web address of any of the information web pages, such that these IP packets are exempt from charging.
Generally, for the loading of a web page, a request for retrieving content of the web page is received by the IP access point server in the form of an initial HTTP Get transaction. Such initial Get transaction is followed by one or more subsequent Get transactions, depending on the result of the initial GET transaction. For example, the receipt of web page markup data from a web server hosting the web page, in response to an initial Get transaction and comprising one or more addresses to further web pages, results in subsequent requests directed to these further web pages for further content to be retrieved.
In practice, the above sketched situation may occur frequently, as often a requested web page will comprise content in the form of links to content on further web pages to be loaded along with the requested web page. An example hereof is advertisement content present on the requested web page. These further web pages are hosted on either a same web server or a different web server.
In the case the IP access point server intends to apply a policy handling for requests for loading a certain web page at a user equipment, the initial request as well as the corresponding subsequent requests should be processed as being qualified for policy handling. This, however, complicates the situation.
If the operator of the telecommunication network decides that a certain web page should qualify for policy handling, it is not sufficient for the IP access point server to base such a determination on the destination web address comprised in the IP packets received for loading the web page. Although the initial request may comprise the destination web address of the web page to be loaded, corresponding subsequent requests may be directed to different web pages, i.e. different web addresses.
In addition, the content of a web page may alter dynamically, and thus also the web addresses comprised in the web page markup data of a web page, making it more difficult for the IP access point server to determine that web addresses comprised in the subsequent requests should qualify for the same policy handling as the web address comprised in the initial request.
In order to mitigate the above mentioned issue, the prior art advocates that web pages should limit the number of embedded links to content on other web pages, thereby creating a so called “flat” web page, and that web pages should at least have a static content. These kinds of solutions are, however, undesirable, as it increases constraints for a web page or web server.
These constraints are related to, amongst other, data traffic of the web server and the possibility to dynamically alter the content. Data traffic of the web server hosting a web page having, for example, the linked content itself embedded in the web page instead of a link to the content on another web page, will increase due to the data size of the content. Further, in such a case, the linked content is less dynamic, as the web server of the web page controls its content in stead of the web server from which the linked content originates.